I picked acorns tonight from 1 tree in town. Right now I have a fan on them drying them. I plan to get more white oak growing on my hunting property & figure I will try this method. Most desirable to me is that white oak are less likely to be impacted by oak wilt.

Find a source for sawtooth oak acorns. They grow and mature faster than any other oak and wildlife love the acorns.

A friend gathers a few dozen acorns each year and plants then in black plastic landscape pots.,,after about a year he moves them to his hunting land

I plant to do the same this year.

I'm planning on doing the same with the sawtooth oaks we have. Someone planted 6 of them in a little honey hole I found a few years ago. Thinking of planting them in a few places around the farm.

In Mo, the state nusery in licking, mo will buy many different species, to be planted and sold as bare root seedlings.

You can can make flour with them. Boil the tannin out then grind. Acorn flour makes an interesting coffee.

a guy in the u p of michigan made a planter for acorns, i think it under 906 outdoors

After we pick acorns, we take the caps off of them and drop a bunch of them in a bucket of water. The ones that sink are the ones we use for planting. This also works for the hickory nuts too.

I don't think we can plant sawtooths in Wi.



https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/Invasives/fact/SawtoothOak.html

If anyone has a source on some sawtooth I'm interested!

Good luck . You'd be better off to walk around and put a ribbon on some saplings right now. Come back in march and transplant them where you need.. Should be able to find some anywhere . Don't need much to gain a few years on just sprouting an acorn. Your kids grandkids might reap the reward if your heirs don't sale before your grave has settled.


How Many Years Can it Take for an Oak Tree to Produce its First Acorn?



Oak trees (Quercus spp.) take decades to mature. Depending on their species, the trees are 20 to 30 years old when they produce their first acorns. Even then, acorn production is not consistent from year to year. Factors such as freezing temperatures during blooming, excessive rain, windy conditions, drought and nutrition can affect acorn production. Larger canopied trees receiving more light produce more acorns than smaller trees in shadier conditions. Most oaks are at their acorn production peak at 50 to 80 years of age. After the oak reaches 80, acorn production generally begins to decrease.

But like mentioned the sawtooth will produce in about 6-7 years.

Deer prefer to browse Red Oak Saplings and prefer to eat White Oak Acorns- they will however still browse - so you may want to tube some oaks if they come up. I would order Burr Oak transplants from the DNR- the root stock I got last year was awesome.

well i planted some burr oaks trees from Menard's in 2016 and this year i have acorn

dont dry them. float them. put them in water, the ones that float wont grow. the ones that sink cover with dirt in a baggie put in fridge till spring. in spring you will see them sending out roots, then plant

Interesting thread

I've never tried the (Spray and Pray) dump method for acorns but the guy that wrote my Forest Management Plan said it's a viable option, I'm sure the squirrels will help plant a lot them. He said nothing plants a tree like nature and told me to focus on the areas where I have current oaks- "they want to be here for a reason"

white oaks germinate in the fall, they do not need any stratification.
They will germinate when in contact with cool moist soil.
Throw them in water, let them sit for a day, after that day discard any that are floating.
Put them in pots or the ground. They will germinate right away. White Oak acorns are alive and growing all the time, roots first then stem/leaves. You won't see leaves, the root will come out and grow into the soil until the weather turns cold. Next spring is when the leaves show up.



I have grown Burr Oaks from acorns, I would say about 1/4-1/3 of the acorns gathered germinated, lots of weevils in the acorns in the bunch I got.

You will have to protect them from deer, in my experience deer eat every white oak seedling they find. Plant them where they get at least 1/2 day of sunlight.

white oaks are headed for a decline in numbers unless woodlots are thinned heavily to allow sunlight in to the forest floor. White Oaks can not survive in all day shade.

Fire is the white oaks friend, protect seedlings until they get a couple of inches in dia. then they will survive fire unlike most trees. They resprout vigorously after fire if they are too small to survive a fire.
If you read any historical accounts of the land when early settlers arrived they mention oak grubs, oak grubs are the resprounting oak trees that continually resprouted after annual fires.
Burr oak is the best tree for fire resistance.

I picked up a bunch of Sawtooths acorns several years back and did the float test and afterwards put them about an inch or so down in potting soil in individual pots. Apparently they are the easiest thing to grow in the world besides weeds. By Spring they were all up and leafing. I gave all those away to friends and to this day still have Sawtooths sprouting in the wife’s flower bed where I apparently dropped some acorns. It’s like you can’t get rid of them or kill them, lol.

I just picked a bunch of pin oak acorns up from one of my trees to grow. Its loaded this year!

if you can water the heck out of oaks for the first 5 years they will throw acorns in 7 to 9 years. I'm talking 15 gallons per tree per week, having a nice open overstory helps also

Very interesting.

Thanks everyone for the great feedback so far

It seems like the different species of Oaks get treated differently as far as when to plant and how. Such excellent advice on this thread.

I think I'm going to invest in an acorn planter. I had never heard of 1 until this thread.

I'd like to buy some burr oak from WDNR but I don't think I can order enough trees to meet their high minimum order requirements.

1 of the reasons I want a diverse array of oak types is to help mitigate the risk of disease wiping out my forest.

I found it, thanks:

https://www.nutplanter.com/


If I plant them now, I wonder if I have to worry about them sprouting this year, freezing, & dieing

Oh, ok. I guess I was/am afraid if I store them wet they will mold, rot, or sprout

great thread

Check your county NCRS or forestry dept, they have tree sales in the spring. They all have sales, you can usually buy in lots of 10-25 trees. They cost something in the rang of $1-2 ea. I have gotten Burr Oaks from my countys sales (Sheboygan). I have also ordered trees from other neighboring counties when my county was not offering a certain specie.

search for your county tree sale, they usually start in Nov and must be ordered by Feb. Then there is usually 2-3 days in the spring where you can pick them up.
They also have shrubs and wild flower seed and other stuff like bat houses, tree protectors etc. Every county is different. If you don't find the specie your looking for search a neighboring county.

If worried about molding dip the acorns in a 10% solution of bleach and water. 1 oz bleach to 10 oz water. Also storing in moist sphagnum moss helps.

Lowell told me to call him so I did tonght. He owns the business that sells the planter. I bought 1. The guy was amazing. He is an acorn god. You won't get better customer service. He talked to me for 61 minutes, no joke. This might be the best of many tips I have ever gotten on tMan. Thanks guys. I'm off to pick some more acorns

I've had zero luck with sawtooth oaks. I have some over 40 feet tall...never produced an acorn.

If you do plant any: do not plant them in sandy soils and plant them in full sunlight. They may not produce any acorns but they will grow big and pretty...lol

Btw...all the sawtooths I have seen planted on other properties make acorns like crazy...

I have planted 1000’s of red oak acorns in the spring. I have had amazing success sprouting them by picking in the fall putting them in a ziplock bag and storing them in the refrigerator for the winter. I do about a 100 per year

I heard to leave the bag unzipped & slightly damp in the refrigerator.

Just think of the $ you are saving vs buying seedlings

I have even vacuum sealed them but found that is not necessary as a ziplock keeps them moist and then take them out of the fridge about 2-3 weeks before you want them to start sprouting

So it is ok if they start sprouting before the acorn is planted?

Some of mine already look like this:

aje did the guy with planter say it was better to plant in spring or fall ?

White oak probably best in November Dahlgren.

how much was planter

Red oaks are different than white oaks, red oaks germinate in the spring after winter, white oaks germinate in the fall right after falling.
Do not store white oaks, plant them right away,

Red oak and white oak are two different families of the Oak tree.

here is an article about some of the differences

http://www.huntingtheland.com/red-white-oak-differences/

Plant white oaks in the fall, they are growing a root.

DO NOT STORE WHITE OAK ACORNS!!!
PLANT THEM RIGHT AWAY.

not all oaks are the same,

storing them in moist media while in a fridge is "stratification", white oaks do not need stratification.
This copies nature, some seeds need stratification to germinate, others don't. Red and White oaks are not the same.
Most grasses do not need stratification and most wildflowers do.

here is some info

https://hortnews.extension.iastate.edu/faq/how-do-i-germinate-acorns

$150

He already shipped it out this morning.

let us know how you like it

Will do.

Meanwhile I picked some more acorns last night. I probably have enough now. I found a white oak that's a Holy Grail for acorn pickers, at least this year.

I've been really busy studying up this week on the process, and trying to properly prepare my acorns. In some ways it's simple but in some ways complicated. I mean a rodent can plant an acorn, so I'm trying to keep it simple, but if I'm going to all this work I want to do it right.

This weekends process is rinsing, floating, & then the bleach treatment... and putting them in the fridge. I have to make sure I understand the process to make sure they are proper dampness but not too moist when I put them in the fridge. I'm putting them in a bunch of small but open ziplock bags & then I'll be able to take a bag or 2 whenever I go to the land. And then when I figure out the perfect time for primary planting, I'll try to put that acorn planter to heavy use to make a day of it.

A lot of the info I read online is consistent, but it varies some depending on the source. There is a process- whether I'd call it exact science I don't know.

I don't claim to be an expert on this but I've sure been getting an education so far this week

This thread has been helpful. Thanks.
A bleach treatment is good, but I suspect bleaching white oak is a potential problem b/c they sprout so fast, even if put in a refrigerator before planting. I've heard of people using apple cider vinegar instead. For this batch, I think I am ready to start planting this week when my tool shows up. Right now I have 'em in the fridge- hopefully maintaining a proper moisture content. I have over a gallon. I'm not sure how many are in a gallon but it is a lot.

I got the Squirrel tonight. It looks nice:



I've been picking more white oak acorns. They are sprouting & I have a lot but am not sure how long they'll survive in the fridge after they sprout



It's probably time to start planting this weekend!
My terrain is hilly & not the best soil.
I don't know how many are in a gallon..I bet 800. I'm up to about 1 1/3 gallons gathered in the past week. They're in the refrigerator.
This is my 1st time doing this. I've been trying to keep them just moist enough so they don't dry out.

I like it! I planted a lot of acorns this weekend. It was perfect weather- cool & raining.
I'm glad I bought the tool. I planted probably 625 but still have that many in the fridge. I feel bad I did't get them all planted, but I did well & got my excercise traversing a lot of uneven hilly terrain. Many are sprouting. I hope the sprout doesn't rot in the fridge. I have a busy week of work so am not sure what day I can plant next. The sprouts are < 1/4", which is good.

White oaks around me grow well on poor soil (sand) as long as it is well drained. The whites tend to stay high and and red oaks grow in the lower stuff that holds water occasionally.

I'm going to have to get a few acorns around and grow a few. You have given me a little bit of inspiration.

Are you going to protect the seedlings next fall?
If not I fear the deer will get them all. They do very well around me finding white oak seedlings.

You can save yourself some time, float the acorns, discard the bad ones and plant the rest right away, no need to store in fridge or treat them for mold.
Letting them sit in the garage between floating and planting is OK. They can dry somewhat, it doesn't matter, they will germinate when planted as is their nature.

sounds like it works good , the oaks that i bought were white swamp oaks , they can be in water for 3 months it said

I might protect some of them from deer next year. I've read that deer browse more on red than white oaks, though they like white oak acorns better. I wonder at what point the acorns I planted will be far enough along where critters like squirrels won't dig them up.

I float tested every acorn I've picked up.
They are nearly done falling now on the tree I've been picking from. It might freeze tomorrow night, I wonder if that means it is time to stop gathering.

I haven't planted swamp white oaks but I've heard good things about them.

It's been a busy but positive experience.

i bought flagging from Menard's to put by the seedily, so far the ones in plastic cover [pipe] tubes have Growden three times as much as those with out tubes

Now that is interesting.

Yes it does. I used it again tonight. It sure seems to beat buying and planting seedlings. I've probably planted about 800 so far, w/ another ~400 to plant if I can get the acorns in the ground before the sprouts grow & rot in the refrigerator. It's kind of relaxing planting.

I have about 200 left to plant. They are sprouting in the fridge faster than I'd like though. I planted a couple hundred Saturday but didn't have time to finish.

I posted a pic of this tree a couple months back....some members thought it was white oak but the acorns look like burr oak to me. Whatcha think?

And these little ones are falling off the sawtooth oak. Are they the normal size??

They don't look like bur oak acorns

Picture of the leaf?

I just picked a cup of Red Oak acorns falling from trees. When I floated them, almost all of them floated. 4 sunk to the bottom.

An egg is layed in the acorn when it is very small and on the tree. As the acorn grows, the grub continues to eat the seed. That’s why they float.

Oaks are a real slow growing tree.

Reminds of a cowboy comedy where they told this outlaw they were going to kill him and he could pick the type of execution.

He said, "I want to be hanged."

They said, "Done."

Then he pointed to a newly planted oak tree that was about 3 foot tall and said, "From that tree!"

right now without further info I'm saying white oak.
When I was a youngun I learn that Burr Oaks have hairy nuts, something I'll never forget

Picture of hairy Burr Oak nuts. There is quite a variability on how Oaks may look depending upon area.

I agree not Burr oak, but white oak family. The Burr oaks left in our area mostlly are very old as they survived the prairie fires a couple hundred years ago and more on the oak savanas we have and their bark if much, much thicker then the bark of the other oaks, which is why and how they survived the grass fires.

Bryce

The more I learn, the more I think I've never seen a bur oak nut. All white from what I see, including all of Nebraska.
These are in Arkansas.

Picking the cap off a bur oak acorn can be quite a challenge.

I spent some time walking my property last week with my logger who is also an excellent hounds man- he pointed out a lot of bear damage in my burr oak stands, broken branches, claw marks, etc. Since deer have trouble climbing, it got me thinking about how many acorns in my area never touch the ground. I assume a 500lb. squirrel or sow with cubs can eat a lot of acorns, he also said a bear will walk through 40 acres of red oaks to get to this one tree.

Wow, very interesting.

I got my final 200 in the ground Monday night, a day before a nice rain. It seemed like a positive experience & I think I will do it again. The seeds seemed very viable, based on the radical acorn growth in my fridge. I can't speak for the results yet, but some of you may want to consider acorn planting next year.

Supporting white oaks is smart

https://www.whiteoakinitiative.org/

I saw this rebroadcast from 2016 this week- I thought I would share the link- it's 31 minutes long but worth it if you're passionate about the topic.
https://www.pbs.org/video/university-place-oak-woodland-management/

Thanks. I'm sure enthused about all the white oak acorns I planted this fall. It's exciting stuff.

I enjoyed the pictures on this thread.

It's easier & cheaper than planting seedlings. I want to get oaks growing before the briars take hold.

Just got back from MO they had a bumper crop this fall tiny to huge ones covering the woods and good walnuts also.

I prefer to find an oak tree in a lawn or park for gathering acorns, then it's easier to pick and easier to not have to try to identify (distinguish) which seeds are which

I wonder if many people realize DNR buys acorns from private citizens. I could use some side $, but will probably keep busy planting all the viable acorns I gather each year.

This is not on the subject but are they making different coins? The head is facing the wrong way compared to older ones

Why are you posting that on this good acorn thread

I'm talking about the one in the pic but if you don't want me to talk tell me!

Oh, I was wondering what you meant.

Its ok

I'm looking for some kind of pouch that has a belt loop that I can use next year to keep acorns on me when I plant next year. If any suggestions, let me know. It needs to be something that'll hold a few dozen acorns at a time & be easy to grab without being easy to spill. I tried a couple different options this year & neither of them worked as well as I would have liked. I want to be able to quickly grab 1, not have to bend, 'dig', or lift some flap out of the way each time

All this precipitation, particularly the unusually excessive rain the past several weeks, is probably going to really help my acorns. We had a lot of snow in the early part of the season.. and the acorns I planted should help make up for some of the trees that fell over in last month's brutal winter storm

Sounds like you need a hang on your belt shotshell bag like Trap/Skeet shooters use.

Any idea on the number of seeds that need planted to produce a mature tree? I know there are a lot of variables to account for but what is the average? 20/1 40/1 100/1 500/1 1000/1 10,000/1. It would also be nice to know the average for it to happen naturally.

When I'm running a dibble bar and planting seedlings I have a Jim-Gem bag- I have a single and one double- these would work well and I like the trapshooting bag idea also

1 viable acorn can do the trick.

I'm already looking forward to planting acorns later in '23

I reached out to the Forester yesterday about me possibly buying some bur acorns for next year

https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/treeplanting/buyseed

I actually thought about this the other day. I have 2 really nice white oaks in the yard that have tons of acorns left on the surface - probably should pick them up before the grass grows.

No white oaks in Wis? Our wildlife seems to prefer the white oak acorns before red, we only have a few burr oaks

This has been my experience also- our burr oaks are categorized as white oaks and the deer prefer the acorns over the bitter red oak acorns.

I heard once for red oak it was 1/2000. I have no idea if that is true or not. I picked up a pocket of acorns in town that were falling off a big oak. I put them in a coffee can with some potting soil, thinking I would plant them in the spring. They started sprouting and I dug them out of the coffee can and replanted them in separate pots and I now have 24 seedlings in the sun room. The ground was froze when they started to sprout. I will plant them this spring.

1 viable acorn can grow a tree!

WDNR sells the bur oak acorns with the caps still on them. The Forester got back to me saying he's going to order me a bushel. Supposedly that's the minimum quantity, as hard as it is to believe. For around $40 that seems pretty cheap. If I have to sit and pick the cap off though, I don't think that's realistic on that many bur oaks

I'm anxious to see how long it'll take for the white oak acorns I planted in October to be visible above ground as a new tree sprout

Some people start their acorns inside but I prefer to put them directly in the ground

Mid-August I'm completing an Oak Scarification of approximately 3 acres- just talked to the technical service provider and he said- this year is a bumper crop of acorns. I did notice some dropping already last week (seems early) - he said those probably have a worm and/or are rotten if you open them up.

I noticed the oaks and apple trees were loaded this year. Both are hitting the ground and have drawn a lot of interest from the local wildlife.

Not sure how many acorns the squirrels bury in my garden every year, but I usually dig out and transplant a dozen trees each year. Just need a few more squirrels around and I could get rich off their efforts!

I am collecting some nuts from the neighbor. We put a tarp down and probably have a few five gallon buckets worth in our collection bin already. This last wind storm really knocked some down. I will spread and lightly till the ground and see what comes.

White oak acorn picking season started for me tonight.




Some aren't fully brown but passed the float test so I guess they must be ok

I'll put them in the fridge tonight. These 55 passed the viability test. I am not yet sure when is the best time to plant them

I like my orange metal acorn planting tool, literally called "The Squirrel."

Last year I planted 1k but that was my 1st year. I'm still learning.

Tree has the profile of a Burr oak, but those are definitely NOT burr Oak acorns.

I gather about 5 gl a years of white oak when we get them to put a hand full out in an open feeder for the Blue Jays and Ladderback woodpeckers each day in the winter. Our red oak acorns get eaten out by larva before winter comes if I try to save them.

Some of my white oaks have the worm too. I can't figure those buggers out. It's too bad b/c it ruins the acorn. They don't seem to bother deer I suppose. Before I got into this last year I never would have realized acorns often have a white little maggot in them.

It's a bumper crop like last year

Try doing a float test on them when you pick them and then refrigerate the good ones

My red oak in the front yard is absolutely loaded this year. The branches are actually drooping from the extra weight! I wouldn’t think it would produce like that in a drought year but it sure did…like I’ve never seen before!

I have another thousand ready to plant

If you need a place to plant them, head on over. I have just the place for them.

Burr oaks are white oaks, but those acorns are not from a burr oak. Burr oak acorns have bristles around the edge of the cap. Also the burr oaks I know of are taller and do not widen out like that tree.

The best video I know of for identifying oaks.



[video:youtube]https://youtu.be/FIKGm4VSKDQ?si=GnfT7YEcyDpDtuEX[/video]

Identifying young oaks, like a few feet tall or less, is where I struggle.

I planted over 1,250 acorns so far this fall on my property. I planted this 1 in a pot in my office recently & it's already growing



I have 680 in the fridge still, to plant asap.

I got all my acorns this year from 2 white oak trees. Planting goes fast with my tool.

White oaks germinate immediately and should be planted straight away. Drying them may kill them or at least make them more vulnerable to fungal infections.

Red oaks germinate in the spring and can be kept in the refrigerator until everything thaws in the Spring.

I keep my white oak acorns gently moist in the fridge until I can get 'em in the ground. I have a little water mister squirter I use.

I have over 5 gallons of Saw Tooth acorns that will be planted soon. The deer are eating before I can gather them. I have three saw tooth oaks I planted as seedlings 16 years ago that started producing acorns at around 10 years old

White oak grow slower than your sawtooth

My 2 cents - protect your young oak trees. I planted several hundred bare root seedlings about 15 years ago. 90 percent plus survival rate. Those that were tubed and/or caged (about 1/4th) have done very well. Some are close to 20’ tall. Of the 250 or so that were not protected, most are still alive. But not one is over 30 inches tall. The deer keep them browsed back.

Have you tried bud caps? That might help.

I'm looking for some good tree tubes & might be curious what you are using

I removed tubes from a bunch of my Oaks, some have done real good in the tubes and one is even about 8ft above the 5ft tube.
But others not so good. They were going OK then for some reason the top died back, Most of them it was 2 years worth of growth dead but the tree was still alive and growing on the lower branches.
So I have removed the tubes and replaced with 2 x 4 wire in a 2 1/2 ft circle around the tree and mulched them.
Next summer will tell the tale.

I do have some natural White Oak regeneration in the more open areas in my woodlot. The biggest tree I found was a little over a foot tall. Most are just 4-6 leaves about 1/2 foot tall.
They are existing only because they were growing in blackberry patches or other thick cover that the deer never went into.
These areas are also burned occasionally. I have picked a 3 of the small natural Oaks that were in areas that I cleared of all brush and will seed this fall and protected them with the fence. will be another interesting thing to watch next summer. Hopefully more sunlight, protection from deer and fire might yeild some good growth.


picture of the natural white oak regeneration in a area that was burned last spring.


tree that was in a tube for about 5 years, you can see the dead leaves on top and the last remaining part that is still growing.

I have 3000 seedling oaks going in next spring. I refuse to protect them unless you call shooting a few deer protection.

Seems like I have way too many issues with mice in the tubes. I just plant thick and let it be survival of the fittest. I can buy a lot of extra trees for the cost of a tube.

I have planted at least 10,000 bare root seedlings without tubes the last 10 years or so. Would have been farther ahead to plant potted 5 to 8 footers from tractor supply or Lowe’s and take really good care of them. Die off and deer browse very hard on seedlings.

That's been my oak strategy, but with acorns. I've planted 3k acorns in the past 2 years.

For some of my key White oaks, I like your fencing setup Dirty D. I might try that.

I have elk, so damage from browse is even more of an issue.

the shotgun approach or the precise targeted approach?

to me alot would depend upon what your planting into and how much land your trying to get trees on in the end and of the utmost importance the amount of browsing animals in the area.

a bare field with lots of room for lots of trees and few if any deer, shotgun most likely would be best.

I might add here that in all the 5 plus decades that I have traversed farms and fields finding a White Oak sapling is a very rare occurrence. Lots of mature trees but no saplings. They only exist if they are in a place not visited by deer and not too shaded by surrounding trees. Seedlings are not uncommon, but finding one who has grown to 1-2 inches in diameter is unicorn rare. Would be interested in others experiences with this observation.


me, I'm planting into an open woodland with small open patches with no canopy cover, so I plant 1 to 4 or 5 trees in the opening depending upon size of opening. I protect them all.

the old axiom of when is the best time to plant a tree is valid here. Nothing bugs me more than to see a tree that has survived several years only to be destroyed. If protected the tree would still be here and getting bigger.
the window of danger for a Oak seedling is very high in its first 10-20 years depending upon site and conditions of course. Once its past that its odds go down dramatically.

Planting acorns is so cheap & easy that I plant way more white oak than I think I will need.